Published on Aug 2, 1999
Since Yes is my favorite group and Bob Dylan my favorite
songwriter, this tribute album by longtime Yes guitarist Steve Howe
has interested me since it’s unveiling several months ago. Although
it has been out since early May in the UK and Europe, the release
date in the US was July 13th, and since
Portraits Of Bob Dylan is a pretty small release (on Purple
Pyramid Records) it will probably only just now be getting to chain
stores (I saw a copy at both Best Buy and Circuit City near my
house – for the record, CC is selling it for two dollars less).
In the liner notes and in a recent NFTE interview (which can be
found by exploring
www.nfte.org) Howe describes his
aim with this record as being an exercise in building arrangements
to fit the moods of these twelve Dylan songs. Through his choices
of guest vocalists and timbres, I think Howe has succeeded,
although in several cases (notably “Lay, Lady, Lay”) he perhaps
sticks a bit close to the original Dylan versions.
Tribute albums are often an exercise in triviality and recently
have become almost ridiculous in their samey quality – especially
those for progressive bands. The ELP and Rush tributes perpetrated
by Magna Carta Records are nearly laughable. On the other hand,
something like
Encomium, the Zeppelin tribute that came out a while ago,
features a variety of flavor-of-the-month groups (Hootie, 4
Non-Blondes). But Howe stays out of this rut by introducing quite a
variety of tunes and a variety of arrangements. When I get around
to compiling a CD-R of my favorite Dylan covers, you can bet that
Howe’s “Sad-Eyed Lady” and “Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll” will
be on there beside Hendrix’s “All Along The Watchtower” and the
Byrds’ magnificent “Mr. Tambourine Man”.
What Dylan fans might enjoy about this collection is that Howe
doesn’t do the ‘typical’ tunes – you’ll not hear “Like A Rolling
Stone”, “Mr. Tambourine Man”, etc. here. The only real greatest
hits are “Lay, Lady, Lay” and “Just Like A Woman”. Howe, instead,
digs up some of the better forgotten tunes from Dylan’s early 60s
folk trilogy and tweaks their arrangements, and even does an
unreleased Dylan song (“Well, Well, Well”). Also, the atmospheres
are nearly always appropriate to the song.
What Yes fans will enjoy are: great electric and acoustic work
by Howe, Jon Anderson’s magnificent vocal on “Sad-Eyed Lady Of The
Lowlands”, Geoff Downes keyboard textures, and Annie Haslam’s work
on “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”.
Howe sings four songs, and although twenty years ago that might
have prophecied disaster, his voice isn’t bad at all, although it
still has that homespun, gravelly, not-always-quite-in-tune quality
to it.
Specific tracks that merit mention here are:
1. “Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands”, Dylan’s 1966 12-minute
centerpiece on
Blonde On Blonde, features quite simply the finest vocal
performance Jon Anderson has ever waxed. Howe’s organ and guitar
work are excellent, particularly a gorgeous lyrical solo toward the
end. This one track is worth the cost of the disc twice over.
2. “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”, one of the great acoustic
songs from
Bringing It All Back Home, is treated to a faster, shuffly
rhythm and a magnificent Annie Haslam vocal. Haslam, formerly of
Renaissance, seems a poor match for this song, but she pulls it off
very nicely.
3. “Just Like A Woman” is given a happier, but tender treatment,
with Geoff Downes (Asia, ex-Yes) on keyboards and Howe providing a
very good vocal performance.
4. “Well, Well, Well”, an unreleased Dylan tune, is an intense
gospel-feeling romp featuring P. P. Arnold on vocals. It’s very
good, a shame Dylan himself never recorded it, as it includes some
pretty good lyrics.
5. “The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll”, Dylan’s resigned
protest of unnecessary killing and the fact that justice just is
not color-blind, is done very nicely, Dean Dyson’s gutteral voice
adds a heavier feel to the vocals and Howe presents a very
Spanish-feeling backdrop, featuring Anna Palm’s electric
violin.
There are one or two minor missteps, but on the whole this is a
good album and a fitting tribute to Dylan’s genius from one of the
best guitarists in the world. You may start
Portraits Of Bob Dylan expecting guitar-hero pyrotechnics
and sloppy guest vocals, but will end it impressed at Howe’s
ability to create especially appropriate and impressive
arrangements of some of rock music’s most enduring tunes.